Easel construction



Nov.- 16, 1937. F. o. BRANT EAsEL CONTRUCTION Filed oct. 12, 1936 Patented Nov. 16, 1937 u-NirgfgsfJTAris-s ASEL coitslrltuo'rroN;`

- Frank o. Brant, Piedmont, calife.

,This invention relates togeasels and has forits objects the provision of a strong and easilyassembledleg support sjforsupporting agshow card or the like in generally vertically extending in- ,5 clinedposition, an-d which construction permits Other obj ects and advantages will appear vin the v Y specification and drawing annexed hereto. l In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan viewof a blank of relatively stii cardboard fromv which the support for the leg is formed.` Y .v v Fig. 2 is aperspectiveview showing the device of Fig. 1 formed-.to support the leg and attached 20 to a card and the leg being shown in position, but broken away at its lower end, and the c ard being broken away.H Fig; 3 is Va vertical sectional View taken 'through the center of .therdevice off Fig.- 2^,.th`e legbeing shown in elevation. 'l Fig. 4 is a verticalsectional View similar to Fig. 3 but with the leg in one'position of n adjustment relative to the card. i Fig. 5 is a-verticalsectional View vsimilar ,to 30 Fig; 3 butv withpthe' leg in another positionof adjustment. j n e Fig. 6 is a planiview'of a blankgslightly different in form-from that-of Fig. 1, iorvuse with aV cylindricalfleg.- n'

y35.' .Fig. 'lis a perspectiveview ofA the blank of Fig.

Fig. 9 is a reduced size `elevational View' of `my mventlon showmg'rth Card" leg and leg supportl be supported,`the blank is pasted to the rear side of the cardflover'that portion of the blank ing member, all` assembled :with the card .supported nby the leg on a horizontal surface.-

50 1 Brieydescribed, heretofore it has been. the ordinary practice to providelargeycards with a verticallyelongated generally triangular piece of card-board pasted to lthe back of the card along the full height of the triangular piece along one y55' ofthe vertically extending margins of the card indenni, inthe drawing (Figs. 1t@ 5') I pro- Vide ay blank ofrelatively stift", vfiat cardboard and to,bend-Ithetriangularipiece at right angles along the pastedrnargin so the bent portionwill 1 extend rearwardly. of thegcard so thatthe rearwardly extending lower edge of the triangular piece-will support the card in inclined position. :.5 Thisgconstruction is not only costly,` but the cardboard tends'to warp, thus makingthe rvcard stand awry, Vand the .constructionalso requires a true horizontal lsupporting surface, andvalso the .rearv wardly projectingwportion ofthe triangularA piece Vl() ,requires Aa clear spacer behind the card, thus takingup valuable4v space or requiring the exhibitor to clear a large space for the card. With my -goonstruction, the.l aforesaid disadvantages are isubstantially,overcorne.

comprisinga main body lY of'elongated rectangu- 'lar form Ahaving :an elongated tongue 2 formed integral therewith and extendingA in longitudinal :extensionfof 'thegbody at oneend thereof and positioned centrallyof theeend. `.Said tongueis longitudinallyv creased along spaced lines 3,7thus 4their endsad-jacent the body, as indicated at 5.

. f. SThefmainfbodyl I; -is creasedl thereacross at :rightxangles :tothe length of the body along line Gysaid crease, being spaced from the end of the body adjacentthetongue a distance about one- .fourth 'the `length .lofi the body and the body 'is also creasedthereacross along line i, which crease 1 is parallelto crease 6 and Lis spaced from the lend of the body, opposite the tongue a distance about one-ifth-the length of-the body. The por- 'tion of the body between crease l and the end of i the body'tadjacent thereto is formed with a gen- 'erallyvU shapedopening positioned about centrallyy of saidffportion with the legs extending 40 towardthe tongue end of the bodyv and the main tbody portion is formed with a row of spaced rectangularopenings 9, which row extends longitudinally of the body and-in alignment with the tongue'. 45

` InY assembling the blank on the card intended to lying between creases 6 and 7, the body being positioned, with the tongue extending toward the ftop, edge ofthe card-andat a point intermediate the upper and lower edges of the card most suit- 1 able for insuring a' proper support.

After the blank is pasted in position, the

tongue end thereof, including the tongue, is bent downwardly along crease 6 and the lower or opposite end of the blank carrying opening 8 is bent upwardly or toward the tongue end along crease 'I. The strips 4 on the tongue are bent along creases 3 toward the portion of the blank lying between creases 6 and 'I thus forming the tongue to U-shape in cross section, and the tongue, thus formed, is inserted at its outer end through the opening 8, the strips 4 rbeing supported in the legs of the opening, and the main body of the tongue extending across the opening between the legs, with a tab I I on the body at the opening supporting thestrips 4 in substantially parallel relationat right-angles to the portion of the tongue between the strips. I

After the blank is formed, as above, IA insert a rigid, elongated stick I2 of generally rectangular' cross section, into the outer open end of-thechannel formed by the tongueY and force the stick longitudinally of the tongue until the end' of Vthe stick at the tongue engages the blank at the apex thereof formed by bending the blankalong crease 6. In forcing the stick to this position, the tab I I is bent slightly upwardly as seen in Fig. 3, thus forming a releasableY lock between thetaband stick at the point of engagement ofthe tab and stick, which prevents accidental withdrawalof the stick I2 when it is once in place, and the card can be lifted around without fear of the stick falling out, but the operator can readily withdraw the -stick by merely pressing upwardly on theV tab.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the'stick I2 will form a supporting leg" for the card I 0 when assembled with the blank I, which legi-lts snugly within the tongue, between the strips 4 thereof, and is held atrits upper end and at'tab II thus preventing any lateral. movement of the Y stick in any direction.

Itis sometimes desirable to move the lower end Y to avoid obstructions on the supporting surface.

To move the lower end of the leg closer to the card, the portion ofl the blank throughrwhiclrtheY l leg and tongue extend, may be bent upwardly aV greater distance, as in Fig. 4, or to move -the lower end of the leg away from the card, the leg I2 may be slightly slipped outwardly relative to the tongue, as in Fig. 5, so theY upper end of the stick will engage inone of the openings 9.

It is, of course, obvious that anydesired length leg can be quickly connected to the blank to sat-l isfy any unusual condition andthe leg I0, may be of wood, or of cardboard folded to form a rectangular outline in cross-section, although wood is preferable where the leg is relatively long and greater strength is required. While `arranging the stick edgewise relative to the `plane ofthe board is workable, the arrangement shown in the drawing is preferable.

The blank of Fig. 6 is similar to that of Fig. 1, except instead of a U-shaped opening in the one end of the blank, I provide a circular opening I3, and the tongue is not creased. VOtherwise the parts similar to the elements ofthe device of Fig. 1 are similarly numbered. With the device of Fig. 6, the tongue is merely shapedvto t Y formed by the blank in folding the'same.Y VThe tongue, in this form of device, functions in a mannersimilar to that of the tongue in Fig. l, and

stantially equal in length with one side parallel with the end of the blank adjacent thereto and Vthe apexof the adjacent sides being toward the tongue. In this form of device, I provide a leg ,'II made of VaVV strip of relatively stiff cardboard,

which strip is creased longitudinally along three parallel lines so that the strip may be folded to form a'hollow leg of triangular outline in crosssection adapted V`to fit through the opening I5, the upper end of the leg being beveled at I8 soit will it in the apex formed by the blank in folding. In thus-forming the leg I1, one side is of double.Y thickness, as indicated in the drawing, and this side preferably slides along the edge of the triangular opening positioned adjacent lthe end' of the blank. This double thickness of this side of the leg-may be secured together by glue between adjacent surfaces, orY the leg may be Vshipped flat (unfolded) with the card, and then folded to form the leg when the cardis set up, Y

used to the same end, and in some instances, I

coat the sides of the strips that are intended to overlap, with ordinary rubber cement of the type that is non-adherent to objects 'not sii ilarly coated, but readily adheres to a similarly coated surface. Y Y Y Y It is,'of course, obvious that the blank I may be of Yvarious widths, or lengths, as desired,that shownV in the drawing, being about half actual size Y as used for cards running up to three or four feet in height and more. Y

Inv all theforms'of devices,Y similar partsare similarly-numbered and in all form of device, it is preferable that the corners of the tongue at the outerV end thereof be cut-off, as Vat 2', although this needV not be done, and the corners may be left,squareas in Fig. 8. I V

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. In easel construction, Va generallyl vertical displayy board and a rigid leg for supporting the same' inlrupright slightlyV inclined position, saidl legi being Vpositioned generally vertically with its fupper end adjacent the rear side of'theboard and extending downwardly divergently outwardly of the board, a flat blank of sheet material sepa- Y rablefrom the leg secured to the board adjacent the upper end of the leg, and means hingedly connected tosaid blank arranged and adaptedto removably engage the upper end of the leg in substantially embracing relation for removably securing the leg to the board.

2. In easels, a 'display board, means f or supporting the board inran inclined position between vertical and horizontal comprisinga body member adapted for securement to the rear of the board, an extension on said body member hinged- 4ly connected thereto for moving to a position 1 projecting rearwardly of the board, said extension being formed with a recess for receiving the upper end of a leg therein, with the leg extending from its upper end divergently outwardly of UJI the plane of the board, a leg with its upper end removably tted within said recess and means on said body member adapted to coact with the recess for supporting the leg substantially rigidv against lateral movement of its lower end and for limiting upward movement of the leg longitudinally thereof relative to the board, while permitting downward withdrawal of the leg from the body member and board.

3. In a construction as defined in claim 2, said last mentioned means comprising a projection hingedly connected to the body member at a vpoint spaced above said extension, said projection extending at its outer end in said recess and across the upper end of said leg. v

fi. In a construction .as defined in claim 2, said recess being formed with a plurality of straight sides and said leg having straight flat sides at its `upper end adapted to t against the sides of the recess for preventing twisting of the leg within the recess. l l

5. In a construction as defined in claim 2, said leg being beveled at its upper end and said last mentioned means `comprising a flat extension and the beveled surface of the leg engaging against the flat surface of such means.

6. In a device of the character described, a generally vertically extending display board, a blank formed of flat relatively stiff cardboard folded along parallel lines to form a generally triangular shaped body with the base thereof shorter than the two remaining sides, means for securing the blank to said display board with the base of the body lowermost and a leg rseparable from the blank and board removably secured to the blank in downward extension of one of the sides of the body arranged and adapted to support the board in generally vertically extending position.

'7. In a construction as defined in claim 6, the base of said body being formed with an opening adapted to slidably pass the upper end of the leg therethrough and means for removably ccnnecting said base to one of the sides of the body adjacent said opening.'

8. In a construction as dened in claim 6,

means for selectively supporting said leg at various degrees of inclination relative to the plane of the board without distorting the leg and without changing the angular relation between the sides of the body. y

9. In a device of the character described, a display board, a leg for supporting the board in upright slightly inclined position, a blank formed of flat, relatively stiif cardboard folded along parallel lines to form a generally triangular shaped body with the base thereof substantially horizontal and secured at opposite ends .to the lower ends of the sides and the adjacent sides 'being secured together at their upperrends, one of said sides being secuned flat against the board, and means removably securing said legto the body in generally downwardextension of the opposite side of said body, said means including a releasable locking member arranged and adapted to prevent downward movement of the leg relative to the body while permitting the leg to move upwardly in a direction longitudinally of the leg.

p 10. In a device of the character described, va display board, a leg for supporting the board in upright. slightly inclined position, means remov- Aably securing said leg to the board comprising FRANK O. BRANT. 

